Gabriela Hearst Puts the Spotlight on Artisans for Spring 2022

She brought on Naiomi Glasses, TahNibaa Naataanii, Manos del Uruguay and Madres & Artesanas Tex as collaborators for her latest collection.

For her Spring 2022 debut, Gabriela Hearst is all about collaboration — not the mass-market kind that tends to generate headlines, but rather one that uplifts and positions the artisans working at the highest level of their craft (that often aren't recognized by the broader fashion complex) in the context of utmost luxury.

Hearst brought on Diné (Navajo) artists Naiomi Glasses and TahNibaa Naataanii to create some of the woven details seen in Spring 2022 (Naataanii's mother and daughter also worked on the collection); she also tapped two South American collectives she's partnered with in the past, Manos del Uruguay and Bolivia's Madres & Artesanas Tex, to bring rainbow knitwear to life. The show notes included these artisans' and groups' biographies, more information about their work and their methods, as well as a breakdown of the materials used throughout the collection, as it pertains to the brand's sustainability goals.

Hearst's muse for spring was the late New York art dealer Hester Diamond, who was also a noted mineral collector (hence all the geodes sewn into ready-to-wear). "I discovered Hester Diamond through my love for minerals," she wrote, in the show notes. "This impressive trailblazing woman had all the characteristics that I am attracted to: passion, instinct, intelligence, skills and a strong value system. She built one of the most impressive art collections with pure love and wit. She collected art because she loved it, in contrast to today's world where, for some, art has become an asset in a portfolio. After she had collected some of the most impressive art pieces, she was drawn to minerals. Nature always offers the most breathtaking beauty that human eyes can see."

The Uruguayan designer put a lot of herself in the collection, too: She told Vogue that a swirl pattern seen on a crochet knit is based on artwork she made with her kids, and that some of the florals were created by a friend as art therapy. These elements bring a more personal feel to looks that ooze easy glamour, luxe comfort and a highly refined energy — i.e. what the Gabriela Hearst customer keeps coming back to the brand for, season after season.

"Being able to create beautiful pieces that are desirable and at the same time that empowers others is probably one of the most satisfying professional experiences," Hearst wrote.

See the full Gabriela Hearst Spring 2022 collection in the gallery, below.

View the 32 images of this gallery on the original article

Want more Fashionista? Sign up for our daily newsletter and get us directly in your inbox.